QUESTION: I’m writing regarding a recent Viator tour in Paris. I booked the Eiffel Tower Reserved Access Tour and optional Summit by Lift Tour for four people. The day before the tour, I received an email saying the time of the tour was changed from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., because of labor problems at the Louvre.
When we arrived at the meeting point, I was told by the representative that there was a “mistake” — their mistake, not mine — and we could not go on that tour. She said my options were to pay an additional 15 euros per person to get on a tour that included the summit that day, or cancel the tour, get a refund, and try to rebook for a later date.
We opted to pay the additional 60 euros, since our schedule for the rest of the week was filled with timed-ticket admissions to other attractions.
Unbeknownst to us, the summit tours must make a stop at the second level to change elevators. Therefore, my party of four could have easily, and with no additional cost, been added to a summit tour to get us to the second level. We would have had no access to the summit, but we did not initially make a reservation for that anyway.
I have requested a refund through Viator customer service of the additional 60 euros charged me for the mysterious mistake, but to no avail. During my first phone call, I was told by a representative that “it would be taken care of” and that Viator “had my back.” I then received an email indicating that I had requested a full refund of $305, which I did not. I even sent a copy of my receipt for the 60 euros with my email. Viator denied the refund twice, very curtly.
I hope you can understand what I consider to be a very reasonable request for money spent that I should not have been made to spend.
— David Fisher, Nottingham, Md.
ANSWER: Your Eiffel Tower tour should have operated as scheduled. But if it needed to be moved, then the tour operator should have given you the rescheduled tour at the same price. Making you pay more feels a lot like a bait-and-switch.
Viator is a platform that sells tours, and you’re absolutely right — it should have had your back. It looks like Viator got its wires crossed with the tour operator and for some reason believed you wanted a full refund for a tour you had already taken.
It appears the tour operator didn’t follow Viator’s published guidelines, which say it should give 24 hours’ notice prior to the start time of their experience. You were, in fact, surprised by the offer to either pay extra or cancel. Technically, you could have asked for a full refund, but who goes all the way to the Eiffel Tower and braves all those crowds, and then cancels on principle because the price of the tour went up by 15 euros?
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I list the names, numbers and emails of the Viator executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email might have gotten you out of the cycle of robo-denials, where they just keep sending you the same form letter denying a refund request you never made.
I contacted Viator on your behalf. Viator said you should have received a notification for your refund, and it refunded the 60 euros you had requested.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/. © 2025 Christopher Elliott.
